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Nebraska producers examine Asian markets for U.S. meat
Nebraska The U.S. must continue to fight hard for increased shares of beef and pork markets in Asia. That's the consensus of three Nebraska producers who have spent a week in Japan and Taiwan attending the U.S. Meat Export Federation Market Expo. Included in the group were pork producer Troy McCain of DeWitt, beef producer David McCracken of Friend and Nebraska corn Board farmer-director David Merrell of St. Edward. The Nebraska corn Board sponsored their travel and participation in the event. McCracken said that U.S. beef exports to Japan are starting to recover from the damage caused by BSE --but it will take time. "With Japan, it will be a waiting process. There are lots of hoops to jump through and I think we just have to be patient," McCracken said. "In talking to their consumers and salespeople, they want our beef, regardless of what we hear in the United States. It will go off the shelves if we can get it into the supermarkets and restaurants." Australia has a strong presence in the Japanese beef market, but Merrell said Japanese consumers prefer U.S. corn fed beef. "Our corn fed beef is much better than the grass fed beef that's grown in Australia," Merrell said. "You can just see it by the marbling in the display cases and if you go to the stores here, you'll notice that the consumers prefer the corn fed beef way more than the Australian grass feed beef." U.S. pork exports to Asia have been steadily increasing for several years. However, McCain said it is still important that we listen to what the Asian consumer wants. "In Japan, they are very particular about what they want. They know what they like and we need to make sure that we keep our communications open in order to provide them what they desire," McCain said. "You know, we have our own flavors and tastes, but we need to realize that's not what the rest of world is, and whatever they would like to have on their table at night is something that we need to provide." Both McCracken and McCain expressed their appreciation to the Nebraska corn Board for sponsoring their participation in the USMEF Market Expo. "I've learned it is very valuable that all of us in the agriculture sector work together to improve our place in the market," McCain said. "The agricultural sector is a very small part of this world and we need to stick together to promote our product." Merrell said the Nebraska corn Board will continue to do all it can to support the livestock industry. "They're our largest customer, and even though the ethanol industry is booming today, both will be major consumers of corn. So we need to support the livestock industry and we need to support meat exports around the world." The USMEF Market Expo is a week-long program which explores the challenges and opportunities in Asia for the U.S. red meat industry, particularly the impact Japan and Taiwan have on U.S. red meat exports and the utilization of U.S. feed grains and soybeans. It includes in-depth market briefings, meetings with government officials and trade representatives, and tours of supermarkets and restaurants. The group also visited FoodEx, the Pacific Rim's largest food and beverage show, attracting nearly 95,000 food industry professionals and over 2,300 exhibitors. One other Nebraskan--Charlie Hamilton of Ellsworth--was also part of the U.S. delegation. He represented the Nebraska Beef Council. The Nebraska corn Board collects and disburses the funds generated by the 1/4 of a cent per bushel corn checkoff. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education. B 14 4/2/07 4 Star NE Date: 3/28/07
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